Once again the question of safety has arisen in response to mining coal from underneath sources of drinking water. There is a proposal from Gujarat NRC to longwall mine the vast quantities of high grade coking coal from under the Cataract reservoir.
Coal and water are simply incompatible ! It stands to reason that if coal is removed it leaves an empty cavern - and as nature abhors a vacuum - subsidence eventually takes place and the land surface drops - cracking the bottom of any lake or river above and causing water loss.
This is not the first such proposal - and it certainly will not be the last ! We need to make a decision once and for all - and determine a policy approach so that our water supply is safe and mining interests clearly know what will - and what will not be permitted !
Mining affects more than just water. Subsidence after longwall mining can be as severe as five metres, and this can devastate roads and railway tracks, electricity transmission towers, Telstra cables - and water and gas pipelines.
Some of these could be re-routed to avoid damage, but it should be clear from the outset that the cost of such work would be required from the miner before such a project would be even considered.
We are told that global warming will reduce rain and natural water to most parts of Australia. In these circumstances, guarding what water we have must have a higher priority - and now would be a good time to establish a conservation policy to establish the rules that apply !
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